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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27911803">Chai Tea and Beer Cans</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nebulaism/pseuds/nebulaism'>nebulaism</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Banana Fish (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Coffee shop as a hide out for the gang? yes please, I love ash and eiji and i'm trying to cope okay?, Love at First Sight, M/M, Meet-Cute, NO ANGST DONT WORRY, Not Beta Read, One Shot, eiji sucks at math and you may quote me on that, shop and sweet</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:01:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,735</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27911803</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nebulaism/pseuds/nebulaism</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>ash and eiji meet under different circumstances, featuring smitten ash, adorable eiji, and wingman shorter.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ash Lynx &amp; Shorter Wong, Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji, Okumura Eiji &amp; Shorter Wong</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>151</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Chai Tea and Beer Cans</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>No beat read soo hopefully not very many errors but let's see</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In theory, it was a good plan.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In theory, allowing Max and Jessica to open a coffee shop as a cover for gang transactions was a discreet and clever plan. It would allow Ash and Shorter to work out strategies without concern of anyone barging in, it would give the gang an ample amount of space to rest, and it would keep the pesky cops off their backs and provide them with a steady alibi. Ash had thought of everything and It was foolproof.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Well - mostly everything - what he hadn’t counted on would be a very adorable foreign exchange student coming into the cafe every day to study and drink chai tea. Nor had he expected to grow so fond of him. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Standing in the back of the coffee shop Ash sighs, running a hand through his hair and examining the map one last time before muttering a very long string of obscenity, “Who the fuck does he think he is? Making demands like this?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Shorter shrugs, looking highly unconcerned with the whole ordeal and taking a swig of the beer can he’s been steadily sipping for the last hour, “Dunno man but he asked Sing for the same thing.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When Dino had died everyone thought things would calm down and they could all go back to normal lives, Sing could enroll in school along with Skip, Ash could start the writing career every knew he so desperately wanted, and Shorter could start working full-time with his sister Nadia.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That’s what they all had hoped would happen.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But of course - it didn’t end up happening how they wanted - it never did.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Not with the Spanish Mafia acting up with outrageous demands and Yut-lung disappearing overnight along with the Golzine fortune. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We can’t give him the whole west side, that’s absurd.” Ash slams his fist on the table, letting out a tremor cracking against the already frail wood, “I offered an alliance to both Jorge and Estela and they still have the audacity to give me demands? I’m doing them a favor already.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“My plan to seduce Estela and turn her into a double spy Cherry Valence style I am more than willing.” Shorter gives a wolfish grin, his white tears contrasting against the violet mohawk.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ash glares at him, though the fond smile tugging at his lips doesn’t do much to make him look annoyed, “I can’t believe you’re still crushing over her, she’s fictional you dipshit.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Fictional and hot,” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The moon had finally succeeded in tugging down the sun and replaced the azure in astral midnight, speckles of pearls dancing across the heavens like alabaster countertops sifted with crystalized sugar varnish, the prominent crescent moon deftly casting its brilliance on the cafe, glittering rays flooding into the establishment with enough force that none of the cheap fluorescent lights draping above them where needed. Winter had encroached far too quickly for Ash’s liking and snow-dusted the ground like a fairytale, that mixed with the dark sky made it look far later than it really was.  </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The shop lingered open late into the dusk, members of the gang handling night shifts as Max and Jessica watch over during the day. Though no one actually expected someone to get a coffee at six o’clock - so when a black-haired boy hurries into the shop with a shiver in his lips they each snap their attention to him instantaneously. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Heh - America very cold.” He mutters to himself, rubbing his light brown hands together to try and gain at least a little warmth in the very cool building, he doesn’t seem to notice the two men looking at him incredulously until Shorter coughs, seemingly swallowing his beer down the wrong windpipe, “Hello! You are open, yes?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Elbowing Shorter Ash moves to go behind the counter, forearms resting easily against the countertop and a bored look dancing across his pale features, he says nothing, simply waiting for the drink name with quite a bit of impatience.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eiji stays silent for a moment, lips curved in small ‘O’ as he tries to read the menu, eyes squinting lightly before returning attention back to Ash, “May I please have a Chai Tea?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah, that’ll be $4.25,” Ringing up the order he nods at shorter to start the drink, “To go I assume?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, I was planning to study here for my quiz of math, though it is quite late..” The boy trails off, biting his lip in a way Ash can only see as childish, none of the sexual innuendos seen from all the other men in his past.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ash’s face stays the exact same, bored and uninterested as he deadpans a quick, “We close in ten minutes.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Do not worry! I quick tea drinker, like flash!” He grins such a bright carefree smile that Ash has to swallow the lump in his throat, finally sizing the boy up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His hair hangs in small tufts of matte-black, such deep ebony it almost rivals the night sky. Big round eyes leave him looking very youthful, add that his almost porcelain skin and hickory eyes and the man ends up looking early teens, making what he says next almost unbelievable. His eyes danced with wonderment and he seemed almost too vulnerable, body language open and eyes showing an untouched child-like naiveté.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ash wishes he could capture that innocence in his hands and devour it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I come to America for college and people here drink tea very quickly, so I try to drink tea quickly!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Shorter finishes off the warm cup of tea and hands it to him with that same animal grin, eyes trailing him up and down, “No fucking way you’re in college.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What do you mean?” He cocks his head in such a juvenile way Ash has to fight back a simper, instead answering his question in an uncharacteristically warm voice.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“He means you look like you’re sixteen,”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Laughing at the offended look on the boy’s face Shorter nods, only halting when the boy lets out an indignant response, “I’m nineteen!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sorry kid, you just have a real baby face..” The purple-haired man sticks his hand out, to accept the cash, reaching over Ash only for the blond to smack his hand.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I do not have face of baby! I have face of nineteen-year-old boy!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That does it, ash lets out a chuckle, “Just take your chai tea kid, we’ve gotta get back to work.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Furrowing his browns in an utterly adorable way he puffs out a gust of wind from his lips, lifting his black bangs ever so slightly, “I am not kid! I am Eiji!” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eiji.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ash decides he likes the name quite a lot.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, Eiji, the cafe is closing so you better be on your way.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He hums in disappointment, “I really thought I got here with plenty time to study for maths,”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>At the devilish grin that appears on Shorter’s face, Ash smacks his shoulder, green eyes warning him not to say anything stupid.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He does anyway.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You know what, I think I hear Nadia calling me so I’ve gotta go, but ya know what Eiji? My bud ash is real good at math, “He claps ash on the back, “And I’m sure he could help you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The way Eiji’s eyes light up makes every excuse die on Ash’s tongue and he instead nods, subtly kicking Shorter’s shin from behind the counter, “Really! Thank you, Ash!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His heart beats a little too fast at his butchered pronunciation of the name - the accent making it sound more like saying achoo than anything, “Yeah, um, no problem.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Throwing a wink over his shoulder Shorter grabs his jacket and heads out the front door, “See ya tomorrow Ash.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Bye Shorter.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Eiji turns too, offering his bright smile and yelling out, “Sayanora Shorter!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Doing a military salute he hops onto the motorbike and starts off, leaving a very excited Eiji and a very inquisitive Ash who each make their way over to the corner table, one with his hands cupping a yellow mug and the other with a can of beer.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ash sets his beer can on the table and swivels to see a gawking Eiji, his extensive copper-colored eyes glued to the blond’s waistline with such curiosity it almost made him look like a boy seeing snow for the first time, pure wonderment. Looking down to see what the older boy was gaping at so intently Ash finds a lump swelling in his throat. Snugly tucked into his black skinnies is a Smith &amp; Wesson Model 27 revolver, weighing his belt down quite significantly, though Ash had the surmise that wasn’t why Eiji staring.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nerves set in the pit of his stomach like a ball of lead, scratchy, suffocating, and Ash finds himself almost worried about the complete stranger’s reaction, so with an effort to gladden the mood the younger boy takes it from his pants and holds it out, smirking as Eiji’s eyes grow impossibly huge, “Wanna hold it.. or... some shit?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You let me?!” He basically squeals, flapping his hands in elation with phenomenon painted across his face, exhilaration palpable in the sweet-smelling shop.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ash feels his heart fill with so much warmth he thinks he might burn to death. He’s almost a bit irritated, this man has the absolute audacity to not be scared of him - the absolute audacity to look this adorable when ash is already fawning over him and losing control of his galloping heart. So with a sheepish look at the ground, he hands over the gun. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>In truth, the gang leader has no idea why he lets Eiji hold the gun, the very same gun Ash never trusts anyone with, never lets anyone touch. He can’t explain it - can’t explain the warmth he feels around Eiji and why he already trusted this boy with everything in him. Can’t explain why Eiji is so distinctively different from anyone else he’s come to know. And that infuriates him more than anything else.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Breaking Ash’s train of thought the raven-haired boy gives him a smile and shifts the gun’s weight between his hands curiously, tilting almost his head before placing the metal device back into the blond’s hands, “Thank you for trusting me, it very heavy.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ash laughs lightly and smiles, “Yeah, I guess it is. Now let’s get to math shall we?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Then without a glint of fear in his eyes, Eiji nods.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And Ash falls.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry if it sucked, the idea came to me and i thought it'd be a cute thing to explore. Also Ash fell in love the minute he saw Eiji and no I will not be accepting arguments at this time.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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